Baljaffray Primary and Nursery - '˜positive' education report

The inspection late last year was based on new quality indicators which set a very high standard and news that both the nursery and primary school were evaluated as good has been welcomed.

Inspectors were impressed by what they saw and heard from staff, pupils and parents and listed the following key strengths in their report:

· The leadership of the head teacher in establishing a welcoming ethos, and developing a culture to support and promote change and improvement in the nursery and across the school.

· Well behaved, polite, articulate children who are enthusiastic learners who enjoy talking about what they have learned in school and beyond.

· The school has established strong relationships within the nursery and at the primary stages. This extends across the school community, including partnerships with very supportive parents.

Head teacher, Lesley Rodden, said: “It is great to see the hard work, commitment and dedication of staff, pupils and parents recognised in this positive report. I want to thank everyone for their valuable contribution.

“This report highlights what we are doing right and I am looking forward to building on the good work being done by pupils, staff and parents across the school. With the energy and enthusiasm we all have I am confident that the school will go from strength to strength.”

East Dunbartonshire’s education convener, Councillor Maureen Henry, said: “This is a very positive report with many encouraging comments and observations which demonstrate just how well Baljaffray Primary School and Nursery Class is doing. There is a wonderful feeling of community here, and the report highlights the strong and positive relationships between staff, pupils and very supportive parents.

“The report also recognised that Baljaffray Primary School and Nursery Class is a ‘warm learning environment where children feel safe, and all are valued’ – and you certainly sense this the minute you walk into the building.

“Everyone associated with the school and nursery should be very pleased with this report.”

The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from East Dunbartonshire Council:

The school should further develop learning pathways to ensure children make progress across all areas of the curriculum. This includes a need to develop a unique curriculum rationale which offers all children rich and relevant experiences in the classroom and outdoors.

Continue to improve approaches to learning and teaching to ensure all learners are engaged in appropriately motivating and challenging learning, in a setting where they have opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in relevant real life experiences.